Florida Viceroy

One of seven recognized subspecies of the Viceroy Butterfly, the Florida Viceroy (Limenitis archippus floridensis) is a brush footed butterfly found throughout the state of Florida and in portions of Georgia. The adult Florida Viceroy butterfly is most often spotted near wetlands which contain concentrations of their larval host plant Willow (Salix).

The Viceroy butterfly is a Mullerian co-mimic of the Danaides milkweed butterflies. Whereas the milkweed butterflies sequester toxins from their milk sap host plant Milkweed, the Viceroy butterfly sequesters salicylic acid from its host which makes the Viceroy distasteful to predators. By each resembling the other the Viceroy butterflies and the Danaides species help to reinforce their coloration and patterns as toxic to predators, helping all species in the mimicry complex gain more protection.

The Florida Viceroy butterfly lays eggs singly on the ends of willow leaves and the caterpillar hatches in about five days. The larvae are cryptically colored in brown, grey and cream which helps them to be camouflaged against the bark of their host. The larva and pupa of the Viceroy butterfly both resemble bird droppings which helps to make them seem a little less tasty to avian predators.

What’s in a name?: Limenitis is New Latin for “of harbors” and derives from an ancient Greek term for haven or harbor. Archippus is Greek for "master of the horse" and is the name of a 1st century Christian saint and the first bishop of Laodicea in Phrygia (modern Turkey).

The species was first described by Dutch entomologist Pieter Cramer (1721-1776) in 1776. Cramer and entomologist Caspar Stoll (1730?-1791) published a 33 issue work entitles De Uitlandsche Kapellen which featured 1658 butterfly species and 396 illustrated plates. Most of De Uitlandsche Kapellen was published after Cramer’s death in 1776.

Viceroy butterfly photo credit: Bob Peterson- Limenitis archippus floridensis on willow. Juno Dunes Natural Area, Palm Beach County.